Reassurance
by Athena and D'Artagnan
Summary: [AC spoilers, after the movie] Two brothers seek shelter from the rain, trying to come to grips with what exactly they have lost.


Note: Remember, spoilers for Advent Children abound. Happy reading, and please review if you like the fic!

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**"Reassurance"**

The rain was still falling by the time they climbed down from the rubble that had once been the Shinra Building. Every step was a struggle, and Loz voiced his displeasure the entire time. They were weak now - without a leader, without a plan, without a purpose.

Loz crawled under the first heap of shrapnel that he could find, trying to squeeze himself into the back so that Yazoo would have room to find shelter with him. But it wasn't easy; he winced as he bent his knees up to his chest, his entire body protesting as he squashed himself into the cramped space.

"Can't you move in further?" asked Yazoo in something resembling annoyance. "I don't want to get wet."

Passing a glance at his older brother, Loz squared his jaw and tried to squirm further in. "I'm trying, okay?" He struggled to take deep breaths in his restricted position, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes.

Yazoo, looking harried, did not wait for Loz to completely comply with his request; he crouched and crawled into the makeshift shelter, leaving a generous buffer between himself and the more muscular Loz. "If we survive this night, Loz, I'm going to... I don't even know what I'm going to do to you."

Loz wiped the corners of his eyes on his jacket, trying to suppress further tears. "Sorry. I'll move my knees more. Just... don't kill me."

Yazoo rolled his eyes and said, bitterly, "Kill you? If I killed you, then what would I have left?"

And it was true; Kadaj was gone, and he was left, wounded, with Loz as his only company. He didn't dislike Loz, but his tendency to break out in tears grated on his nerves sometimes.

"I dunno." Loz winced again as his knees cracked. "...So you're not going to kill me, then?"

For a moment, Yazoo did not reply; he simply glanced at the other, whom he had pushed into the narrowest section of their refuge with a simple order and was now suffering on his behalf. Looking slightly repentant, he sighed, "No, Loz, I'm not going to kill you. Now stop crying."

The look on Loz's face was one of vehement indignation. "I am _not_ crying. I stopped three seconds ago, if you didn't notice."

Despite his injuries and weariness, the long-haired man could not resist the urge to tease. He leaned over to knick Loz's dirt-smudged cheek, which was streaked with tears. "Oh? Then what is this?"

Loz glared at Yazoo and swatted his hand away. "Stop making fun of me."

Yazoo withdrew his hand and looked back out into the rain, feeling calmer, more comforted, after teasing Loz. "Once the rain stops, we should get out of here."

"Where are we gonna go?"

Yazoo frowned. "I don't know. Usually that decision would go to Kadaj."

"Yeah... but Kadaj isn't here anymore."

Yazoo rubbed his forehead, amazed - and somehow not - that Loz could possibly say something so asinine. "I know," he sighed, falling silent for a long moment. There were many things to consider now that they were safe from the strange, burning rain. "We don't even have our motorcycles. We would have to walk. Wherever we go, we won't get there anytime soon."

Loz looked uncharacteristically despondent, his voice barely above a whisper. "... Are we going to die?"

"No, of course not!" Despite his forceful, immediate answer, Yazoo was shaken by Loz's question. "Just because Kadaj died doesn't mean we will..."

The silver-haired men looked at one another. "I don't want to die."

Yazoo glanced away after a moment, not wanting to meet his brother's intense gaze. "... I don't want to die, either."

Loz looked surprised. "Really? I thought you wouldn't care..."

A determined look came over Yazoo's face. "We still have to see Mother, don't we? Kadaj was selfish and didn't share her. We shouldn't give up until we see her."

"Yeah, but where should we look?"

"I guess we would have to stay here to look." Yazoo sighed. "But wherever she is, she's probably safer than we are."

"What if she..." Loz trailed off, seeming to struggle for words, but whether it was because he couldn't think of how to phrase his question or because of some buried emotion, Yazoo couldn't say. "...died?"

Yazoo had to pause and think about his brother's question, as it was one that he had not considered before. "Then ... we wouldn't be here anymore, would we?" If Mother was gone, they really had no reason to remain - to _exist._

"I guess not..." Loz seemed to accept that reply, his attention averting from their serious conversation to his own aches and pains. "My legs hurt."

The sudden shift in subject caused Yazoo to look over at Loz's predicament. He sighed and motioned with one hand for Loz to sit closer to him. "Stop complaining."

Though he was surprised by his older brother's change of heart, Loz scooted away from the narrow pocket he had squirmed into. "How can I not complain when my legs feel like they're breaking?"

Yazoo nudged Loz's arm with his elbow and said, "Can you stop acting like a baby for once in your short life?"

"I am not acting like a baby!" Loz snapped, face darkening in anger.

Yazoo shook his head, laughing off his brother's remark as he wrapped his arms around his knees. He regarded the rain distastefully, becoming the slightest bit worried that it would not let up for another few hours. "I think we will have to sleep out here. Doesn't sound pleasant, does it?"

Loz sulked in his corner. "Not at all."

"There you go again." Yazoo shaked his head in exasperation. "Well, don't go crying all over me. It's already cold as it is."

"I'm not close enough to cry all over you," Loz grumbled.

Yazoo slowly lifted a fair, silver brow at his brother's statement. His lips curled into a slight smirk. "Good."

Loz grumbled incoherently, leaning his head against the wrecked structure they had found shelter underneath. "Wake me up when it stops raining."

"Fine," Yazoo murmured dismissively. "But don't snore; I hate it when you snore."

The glare Loz aimed at him was filled with unbridled hurt and annoyance; this was a reaction Yazoo had seen often when he teased him. "I do _not_ snore."

"Yes, you do," taunted Yazoo, resisting the urge to grin. "You could wake the dead on a bad night."

Loz growled and punched his brother in the arm. "Shut up!"

Yazoo winced in pain. "What was _that_ for? That _hurt,_ you numbskull!"

"Yeah, well... _good,_" said Loz huffily.

Yazoo muttered and rubbed his arm, annoyed, but said nothing more. Loz settled back against his portion of the rubble. Yazoo closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but was interrupted by sudden, obnoxious snoring originating in the vicinity of Loz.

"Stop snoring!" he snapped, elbowing Loz in the arm.

Loz grunted at the blow, opening his eyes with such speed it was immediately apparent he had been feigning sleep. "I will when you stop being mean."

Yazoo's eyes narrowed at Loz's words. "I am _not_ mean," he hissed indignantly.

"You just _elbowed me._"

"Because you were _snoring!_"

There was a brief silence as Loz tried to form a retort. "Oh, yeah? Well... your face is stupid!"

Yazoo stared at his brother. And then he broke into laughter, which worsened when he saw the look on Loz's face.

"What are you laughing at?" demanded the older of the brothers.

Yazoo shook his head. "You... are unbelievable, Loz."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Considering everything that has just happened, you can act like everything is okay. Very admirable... or just very stupid." Yazoo was inclined to think the latter.

"I am not stupid," Loz grumped.

A small smile played across Yazoo's lips, as if he were in on a secret that Loz was not. "Of course not."

Loz turned his head away, glaring into the shallow darkness of the space he had just vacated. "I told you you're mean."

In a moment of brotherly companionship, Yazoo reached over and patted his younger brother on the shoulder. It took a moment for the words to follow. "All right, all right. I'm sorry. Are you happy now?"

Yazoo could not tell whether Loz was actually upset or surprised by the easy apology, as the other still had his face turned away. "No."

A quiet sigh passed his lips. "I thought so." He let his hand slip, watching Loz's unmoving form uncertainly. "Well, I apologized at least; that should hold you over until morning." He rolled his shoulders absently, shutting his eyes.

Loz only grunted in reply. Yazoo said nothing more, allowing himself to be lulled to sleep by the patter of holy rain against the scraps of metal above his head.


End file.
